CF-48 Powers off continuously

I just picked up CF-48 that powers off continuously, I have tried all kinds of different flavors to install as far as OS'es go but it does not matter what cd I use from 98 to XP home and some Ubuntu flavors. the system shuts down when basically trying to start the install cd. The cd drive does read the CD's well and I do not think that is the problem.

I have 512 of memory installed and I have tried it with an 80 gig HD and a 100 gig hd and the system responds the same. It also shuts down when trying directly from the HD.

However when I boot into BIOS, I can leave it at the BIOS screen for twenty plus minutes and it never shuts down.

I have never seen anything shutdown like this before.

I have disabled HD timeout and enabled it in BIOS and it does not seem to matter.

Any idea what is preventing this system from booting to hard drive or booting off a CD, also I am pretty sure that booting from a USB drive is not possible without updating BIOS.

Any ideas are greatly appreciated.
Thank you


ETA

I was able to use a Gparted cd to partition the HD but even Gparted had troubles a few times starting up but I have tried multiple times with multiple os'es and they almost alway fail about the same place for the same OS, meaning 98 always fails at same place and XP always fail at same place etc.



PS Just wanted to clarify, the CF-48 I purchased was without a hard drive, I have installed my own hard drives and am not trying to bypass passwords etc or copy recovery software from Panasonic etc, just want to add an OS like Linux to my toughbook.

 

This is/was strange, I bought a power adapter off of Ebay for it and it does fit well and does charge battery but it is made by Sony.

I unplug the power adapter and I am able to boot from CD off of the battery, not sure why with it plugged in that it powers off.

 

After several attemps to install an OS, I am not sure what is going on. The cf-48 powers off, it is like it has a read error and just decides to shut down, but I do not think it is having read errors.

The only cd that can complete is gparted for formatting and setting up partitions. XP can get all the way to the last twenty minutes but shuts down.

Ubuntu can not install either.

Dp I have a bad CF-48? of is there something in there telling it to destruct before I can install an OS?

 

try doing a memory test on it

 

HotWheels -

First off -

Make sure your AC adapter is the one rated 16V or 16.5V, NOT the one rated 19V. Sony made AC adapters that are PHYSICALLY compatible with the ToughBook, but the 19V models will cause damage.

Next:

Download MemTest from here:

http://www.memtest.org/

& install to floppy, then run for at LEAST 6 hours. This method tests ALL RAM without interference from any memory managers.

If it comes up NO ERRORS, then boot from a Windows floppy & fdisk/format the hard drive, then run chkdsk on it.

I'm pretty sure you have a fault one or the other will reveal; if not, try reinstalling XP again & update us with results.

Also, make sure your HDD connector is not contaminated with foreign material and that it is firmly seated in the socket.

Good luck!

mnem<~~~Memory almost full~~~*

 

Thanks, I will give the memory test a shot tomorrow. I think it may actually be the power button getting stuck.

I will have to go buy a floppy.

 

A dumb question... Did you set the CD Rom as the boot first device?

 

No question is too dumb but yes I did(set BIOS to boot from cd first), I was going to try swapping memory but I see my other laptop memory does not line up the same.

I did try taking off the hinge and powering it on without the piece in place but it reacts the same.

This is an odd quirk, I am going to look for an alternate live CD and hope for the best, if not I will be doing the memory test.

Yes my charger is a 16 and not 19 by Sony

 

I would do the memtest first because I've come across quite a few laptops that were doing this and i just changed the ram and they worked fine

 

I am not really able to perform the memory test, I only have one floppy available and that is on the Toughbook without an OS so I cannot write the memtest to floppy, I have however put it on cd and I am not able to run test too long before it powers down, however in initial tests, there were no errors.

Could it be a bad optical drive? But why would that cause it to power down? The only time it does not power down is in BIOS. I can leave it in BIOS for hours I believe.

 

See my previous post about memory test, I am not able to perform it.

I may just purchase some 144 pin memory to swap out, hopefully that is the trick, I have removed memory and re-seated it.

Thanks

 

Does your computer do any beeps during the post? if so try to remember what they are and post them to us because these are diagnostic beeps and could potentially direct you to your problem.

 

Many will argue with me over this comment but here it goes. I have found alot more memory errors using the Windows Memory Diagnostic Utility than Memtest86. I notice that memtest86 will strain the hell out of the RAM (although that's the point) but the windows one strains just enough to find errors but doesn't make it to where the RAM will crash. Give it a go if you aren't satisfied with the outcome of memtest86

Dan

 

No I have heard no beeps, actually no sound at all yet as I have not been able to install an OS.


I did just hear a beep upon power shutdown by myself while insertinting the windows memory tool.

After several attempts, I have got the memory tool running all 6 tests and no errors found yet, how long should I allow the windows test to run?

TIA

 

I ran the Windows memory test for a while and decided to try installing XP again, I am at over 80% of copying files so I have my fingers crossed that I will at least be able to complete installing it.

I got this far before but failed so who knows but I am hopeful.

 

I have added an image, I can almost complete the installation but the system powers down with about twenty minutes remaining. This is driving me nuts.




At this point, most is copied to hard drive and XP boots from hard drive but it always goes back to 39 minutes remaining on set up and goes thru setting up time zone etc again and fails before it completes, if I remove the install CD, I get a message about need service pack 1, is there a way that I could make a cd preferably with service pack 3 on it and use that instead of the XP cd to finish?

 

I am not sure is this is the answer, I have never interupted a windows install like this but I am able to use the regristry editor without the power down and apparently it is having some read troubles

Take a look at link

http://forums.techguy.org/windows-nt-2000-xp/298925-solved-file-asms-windows-xp.html

 

Yeah, no. None of that trickery should be needed; your machine's BIOS is made to work with the optical drive which came in it, so no registry hacking should be needed, and you aren't even to the point of being able to do that; you're still installing Windoze.

I'm still thinking either a memory fault or a HDD failure; possibly a IDE controller (MB) failure.

First: remove the RAM you have installed. Your machine has base 256MB which is permanently installed; try MEMTest86 without any extra RAM installed.

PT, the REASON you get a lot more errors with the Windows-based Memory Tests is because they're retarded; they HAVE to try and work around the Memory Manager in Windoze, AND shared RAM for video trying to write to RAM DMA. You need to NOT have the Windoze HAL interfering with your access to the hardware when you're trying to do a hardware test. This is why MemTest86 is STILL the best tool for separating MEMORY errors from OS/SOFTWARE errors.

Next - you may have a failure with your CDROM drive itself; go visit a friend who has a PC with a floppy drive and make your Memtest disc or buy a USB floppy to use on you own WORKING PC. You should be able to find one for $5-$10 on eBay or from your local PC garage or Goodwill computer resale store.

Oh and look in your BIOS for a setting like "Shut down on errors" or "automatically Reboot on fault" and turn it off if you find it; you may not be able to continue, but at least you should get to a BSOD with info on the fault we can use to help you.

Try these things & then give us an update.

Good luck,

mnem
Pizza is still an option.

 

@mnementh,

Quick note, I have not had a chance to do what you mention above but DSL boots off CD perfectly and have not had a chance to use it yet but it does not power down.

 

I understand the desire to try and make sense of what "almost works" right now; however, your LiveCD doesn't manage memory the same way as Winbloze does, so it's not a good indicator of anything unless the machine happens to crash in about the same amount of time as under Windoze, which would indicate a thermal fault. These are usually easy to spot, since once the unit heats up, it fails with less operational time between failures.

What we're trying to do is get your machine tore down to the most basic "nuts & bolts" configuration & see if it works.

Booting Memtest from floppy eliminates ANY issues from the IDE controller back; if it works in that config and memory errors are not present, then you've eliminated the CPU, memory and Northbridge areas as possible culprits. From there we can start adding a hard drive, then FDISK it, then CHKDSK it, etc. until we've either successfully installed an OS, or we've found the culprit & replaced it.

If memory errors are present and you have no removeable RAM present, then you have a fault in one of those 3 areas, most likely the RAM. Which one it is doesn't matter; the fix is the same: replace MoBo.

mnem
Never let your monster lay down...

 

Well I have managed to install DSL on the hard drive and have wireless working on it and it has not crashed. I will be able to make a floppy and run the memory tests on it now. I went by Office Depot earlier to get some floppies but they were not open til 12 and I then got into other things.

Tomorrow I will pick up some floppies, I do like DSL on it but am unfamiliar with it and for the life of me I can not find my hard drives partitions etc. I mount my hard drive but I see nothing, even when I choose view hidden files I do not see my drives etc.

DSL is so much different than Ubuntu, all I need to figure out is where my drives are hiding in DSL.

I am pretty sure it is not the hard drive that is failing as I have tried two hard drives. The display is very nice, I am surprised at it.

BTW, I am down in the RGV.

 

May be a thermal issue. I have a 48 and have a similar problem.

Thanks
Eddie Saez

 

Without doing the proper diagnostics, I am leaning towards a thermal issue as well or else a possible read problem, it seems to happen at exact same point upon XP installation.

I will have to find some sensors that work in DSL BUT I am guessing they will not push the load far enough as DSL runs smoothly on it.

I still have not been able to find my hard drive on DSL even though I mount it. Maybe there is a preference thing where I have to check off show mounted drives on Desktop.

ETA had to use FF browser to find files on USB drive, kinda hokey, I like having the drives displayed with remaining space etc.